In the Dallas area, you would be hard-pressed to find a person who doesn’t know the name Kidd Kraddick. A beloved radio personality, Kraddick died at age 53 while at a charity golf tournament. A Jefferson Parrish Coroner explains that Kraddick’s heart had become enlarged, with three vessels diseased at the time of his death. While tragic, his death is certainly bringing attention to heart disease and its debilitating effects.
The causes of heart disease vary depending on the specific type you have. In most cases, a hardening of the arteries occurs when the walls of blood vessels thicken due to fat and plaque build-up. As a result, a person could experience heart palpitations and other serious conditions that may limit a person’s ability to work or function in their daily lives. As many of our Texas readers know, this can qualify them for disability benefits from the Social Security Administration.
As an interventional cardiologist at the Baylor Heart and Vascular Hospital here in Texas pointed out with Kraddick’s case, his risk of developing heart disease increased because of smoking. In fact, the doctor points out that smoking is the number one risk factor for heart disease. But many people may not have known Kraddick was a smoker, especially because he asked photographers not to photograph him with a cigarette for fear of setting a bad example for children.
Whether you knew who Kraddick was or not, his sudden death certainly is calling attention to heart disease for many of our readers who know how debilitating this disease can be. In the end, there is the hope that bringing attention to it can not only prevent it in future people but help those who do have it realize that they may qualify for useful benefits for their disability.
Source: The Dallas Morning News, “Kidd Kraddick, RIP: Smoking may have led to heart disease, Dallas cardiologist says,” Nancy Churnin, July 29, 2013